Day in Engineering History Archive - November 11

Note: These historical tidbits have been collected from various sources, mostly on the Internet. As detailed in
this article,
there is a lot of wrong information that is repeated hundreds of times because most websites do not validate with authoritative
sources. On RF Cafe, events with hyperlinks have been verified.

Please submit significant historical events and
dates for inclusion in these lists. I will be glad to include your name and birthday. Please do not submit your death
date ;-) A couple years ago, I began commemorating the birthdays of notable people and events with
special RF Cafe logos. Where available, I like to use images
from postage stamps from the country where the person or event occurred.

November 11

1572: Tycho Brahe
first observed the supernova that suddenly appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia. 1851: Alvan Clark was awarded
the first U.S. patent for a refractor
telescope design. 1911: Radar pioneer and head of the National Security Agency Scientific Advisory Board panel
on Electronics
Louis Nicot Ridenour, was born. 1918: World War I came to an end when the Allies and Germany signed an
armistice - this day became recognized as
Veteran's Day in the United States, with celebrations
traditionally beginning the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year. 1921: The
Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery. 1930: Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd are
issued a patent for their
Einstein refrigerator. 1938:
Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon), famous for spreading typhoid fever in NY, died. 1966: The U.S. launched
Gemini 12 from
Cape Kennedy, FL, where after the craft circled the earth 59 times before returning. 1980: Saturnian moon
Epimetheus
was discovered by the Voyager spacecraft. 1981: The
USS Ohio was commissioned as the first
Trident Class nuclear submarine. 1993: In Washington, D.C., a
bronze statue
was dedicated honoring the more than 11,000 women who had served in the Vietnam War. 2004: Terrorist leader
Yasser Arafat finally died.

A Pittance of Time

This Veterans Day
tribute is by Canadian citizen
Terry Kelly. It was written after an experience he had on Veterans Day in 1999. Composed in the finest
Celtic tradition.

A Pittance of TimeWritten by Terry KellyPublished by Jefter Publishing

They fought and some died for their homeland They fought and some died now it’s our land
Look at his little child, there’s no fear in her eyes Could he not show respect for other dads who have
died? Take two minutes, would you mind? It’s a pittance of time For the boys and the girls who went
over In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died.
It’s a pittance of time God forgive me for wanting to strike him Give me strength so as not to be like
him My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely
resists But two minutes I will bide It’s a pittance of time For the boys and the girls who went over
In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died. It’s a pittance of time Read the letters and
poems of the heroes at home
They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own There’s a price to be paid if you go, if you stay
Freedom is fought for and won in numerous ways Take two minutes would you mind?It’s a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls all over May we never forget our young become vets At the end of the line it’s
a pittance of time It takes courage to fight in your own war It takes courage to fight someone else’s war
Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell They bring hope to foreign lands that the hatemongers can’t
kill.
Take two minutes, would you mind? It’s a pittance of time For the boys and the girls who go over In
peacetime our best still don battle dress And lay their lives on the line.
It’s a pittance of time In Peace may they rest, lest we forget why they died. Take a pittance of time